Class: Physics 10C

​ Projectiles Lab
Background Research:

Physics is the study of matter, energy and the interaction between things. It also means
answering important questions like “how did the world begin’ through observations and
experiments. [5]
Projectiles are moving objects which the only force acting on them is the force of gravity.
This force acts to influence the acceleration of the object constantly by -9.81ms-2. Since the
only force acting on the object is vertical, the horizontal velocity of the object remains constant.
The object does not need a horizontal force to keep it in motion. The ONLY force that acts on
the projectile is the force of gravity once it has been released. [1][2]
Kinetic energy is energy that is in motion. This is a scalar quantity and it can be
calculated from an equation. The equation to find the kinetic energy is KE = 1/2mv2 in SI units
where m, mass is in kg and v, speed is in m/s. This energy is measured in joules. [3]
Potential energy is the energy that one non-moving object has. It can be calculated
through the formula PE=mgh where m, mass is in kg, g, gravitational force is in ms-2 and h,
height is in meters. In order for this equation to work, the 0 point in altitude, datum, has to be
clearly defined. Unlike kinetic energy, this is a vector quantity and this means that it can be
positive as well as negative. When an object is higher than altitude 0, the kinetic energy will
have a positive quantity but when the object is lower than the defined 0m altitude or elevation,
the object will have a negative potential energy. [3]
These 2 formulas for calculating energy can be combined as the Law of Conservation of
Energy states that energy cannot be created or destroyed and in this case, it means that PE=KE
or PE+KE=Constant. [3] In other words, this means that Potential Energy can be directly
turned into Kinetic Energy. [3]
Friction is a non-essential force and is the resistance that one object encounters while
moving on another object or surface. [9] The force of friction is ALWAYS opposite to the
direction of motion or or the applied force. [10] It is believed that this is caused by the
electromagnetic attraction between the charged particles. [9] When there are bumps of different
sizes on objects, the 2 objects cannot get past because of the repulsions between the 2 objects
electrons. [10] The particles that get attracted are the particles that are in the touching surfaces.
The types of frictions include viscosity, internal, static and kinetic friction. Just like potential and
kinetic energy, static friction is found between 2 objects that are not moving compared to each
other and the kinetic friction is found between 2 objects that are moving compared to each
other. [9] However, this does not mean that static force of friction is weak! In fact, it can be
stronger because chemical bonds occur between the objects. [10] Viscosity is is the friction
between the layers of liquid. The more the viscous or thick the liquid is, greater the friction.
Internal friction is caused within one object between the particles in that object. This can happen
in cases where pressure is applied to that object and it is being compressed. The process of
Class: Physics 10C

friction in real life causes moving parts to break or it helps create heat from the energy created
by the moving objects. [9] The difference between friction and air resistance is that while friction
always constant no matter what the velocity is, the air resistance increases as the velocity gets
bigger by velocity squared (v2) as displayed in the formula Fd=(½)(p)(v2)(Cd)(A). [10][6]

Research Question:

How does the velocity that a marble is released horizontally off a ramp with the velocities
of (1,08, 1.63, 2.17, 2.71, 3.25 and 3.80ms-1) from the heig​ht of 0.76m above the ground affect
the distance it can travel before hitting the ground in meters?

Scientific Importance of this Experiment

This experiment is important because the military might use this experiment to estimate
with what speed the planes will need to travel before dropping a bomb for the bomb to hit the
target and how the speed of the plane that will drop the bomb has to change according to what
height the plane is traveling at. Besides bombs, this experiment might be used for missiles and
this will help the military to know how fast a rocket or a missile must be fired in order for it to
reach a certain distance before dropping on the ground due to gravitational forces. [4]
As well as the military, the police force might use this as projectiles are a big part of
‘ballistics’ which is the study of the patterns of the gun fire which helps polices to understand
from where, when and how a shot was fired. [4] If they know how the velocity of a bullet when
released from a certain height affects the distance it can travel, they can estimate where the
bullet was fired from.

Prediction

In this experiment, marbles will be launched horizontally from a height of 76cm with the
velocities of ​(1,08, 1.63, 2.17, 2.71, 3.25 and 3.80ms-1) ​ and how far they can travel before
hitting the ground will be recorded. This will help show the relationship between velocity and
distance in a constant height. If the projectile, the marble, is launched horizontally with greater
velocity, this will result in the marble travelling a further distance however if the marble is
launched with a slower velocity, this will result in it travelling a smaller distance away from where
it was released. [12] The velocity of the launch will be directly proportional to the distance it will
travel and will have a strong positive correlation. This is because no matter how fast the ball,
was launched horizontally, it will still take the same time for it to fall onto the ground as the
gravitational force is always -9.8ms-2 and the height is always 0.76m. This will mean that the
time that the journey takes place will remain constant. Since s=vt, if the t stays constant,
according to the formula, an increase in v will result in a directly proportional increase in s or a
low v will directly result in a lower s. [11] Since they are directly related, to each other and when
one increases, the other increases or when one decreases, the other also decreases, they have
 Class: Physics 10C

a strong positive correlation. For example, if the marble was launched horizontally from a height
of 2m at both 4ms-1 and 2ms-1, it will still take the same time for it to fall down which would be
0.28 seconds. (Used: s=ut + 1/2at2 ------ 0.76= ½*-9.8*t2) For both the journeys, the marbles
would fall down in 0.28 seconds. For the one that travelled at 4ms-1, the distance would then be
4*0.28= 1.12 meters but the one that was launched with the speed of 2ms-1 would travel a
distance of 2*0.28= 0.56 (Using the formula v= d/t )meters only which goes to show that when
the velocity is bigger, the distance travelled is also bigger. [11] Besides this relationship, it also
displays direct relationship between velocity and distance because as seen in the example, one
was travelling at 2 times the velocity of the other and because of this it also travelled twice the
distance which shows that there is a strong positive correlation and that they are directly related.
[11]
This formula of v=dt is also proven by the BBC GCSE Bitesize education website which
clearly states the speed is the distance that can be travelled within a certain time which again
shows that a higher speed within a certain time will directly increase the distance travelled vice
versa. [11] Also the other thing that proves that a projectile that is launched with a faster speed
will travel further is the Phet Colorado projectile motion simulator. The simulation shows that as
the launch velocity increases, the distance that the projectile travels also increases and vice
versa... [12]

Variables:

IV: The marble will be placed on the projectile launcher at the different heights of
6.00,9.00,12.00,15.00,18.00,21.00 cm) on the projectile launcher ​and when left, the marble will
be projected horizontally with speeds of ​(1,08, 1.63, 2.17, 2.71, 3.25 and 3.80ms-1). It is
calculated to 3 significant figures.

DV: The horizontal distance the ball travels will be measured in meters. The distance measured
will be from where the ball leaves the ramp and till where it hits the ground. This is also called
the range. To the nearest 0.001 meters and is measured using a meterstick.

Control Variables:

Controlled How Will It be Controlled What Will Happen To the DV if not Controlled?
Variable

1- Height of By placing the ramp on the same If some marbles are projected horizontally from higher
bottom of the table for each Independent heights than others, this will result in them reaching a
ramp from the Variables (IV) so that all marbles longer Range than others and this is because Range
floor= Height may be projected from the same is directly determined by the air time of the marble as
that the ball is height. the horizontal velocity is constant. Since d=vt, if v is
projected from constant, increase in t, the air time is directly
the ground proportional to displacement (range of the object). It is
 Class: Physics 10C

0.76m known that the air time will change because it is

directly proportional to the initial velocity of the marble,
acceleration and the height it is dropped from as
displayed in the formula.
s=ut + 1/2at2
0.76= ½*-9.8*t2
0.76= 4.9*t2
t2= 0.1551
t=0.39 seconds = time it will take for all marbles to fall
down. When the height of the table increases, this
time increases, when it decreases, this time also
decreases. This will mean that some marbles will have
more time to travel a horizontal distance than others
causing them to travel a greater distance.

2-Shape of the This will be controlled by using This is because some objects suffer more air
Marble = the same marble for each of the resistance than others as suggested by the air
Sphere tests. resistance formula Fd=(½)(p)(v2)(Cd)(A) where Cd is
the drag coefficient for specific objects. The drag
coefficient of a sphere is 0.47 however the drag
coefficient of a square is 1.05 which means that it will
suffer drag more than 2 times a sphere. This will
cause it to slow down faster and if it slows down faster
due to air resistance, it will travel less distance. This is
because suggested by the formula s=vt where s
stands for the displacement(range), v= velocity and t =
time. Since time is a constant, a slowdown in speed
will directly mean less distance travelled. This means
that the shape of the projectile, marble has to be the
same so that they can be subject to the same air
resistance and even though there is a systematic
error, since all trials and independent variables are
subject to the same error, the trend or the pattern will
stay constant.

3- Gravitational This will be controlled by
Force conducting the experiment in the
same gravitational force field and
-9.81 ms-2 this will help the ball reach the
ground in the same time.
If the gravitational force is more, than the range will
decrease and if the gravitational force is less, the
range will be more. This is because as well as the
horizontal velocity of the marble, the range is also
determined by the air time of the marble which is
determined by the the time it takes for it to hit the
ground which is determined by the acceleration
towards the ground, initial velocity and distance away
from the ground. If the gravitational force is less, than
it will take more time for the marble to drop to the
 Class: Physics 10C
4- The Kinetic This can be controlled by using
Friction the same ramp for all the trials but
Created By the it cannot be prevented nor
Ramp measured so it will have to stay
as a systematic error.
Common air The common air density can
Density being easily be kept constant at
kept Constant 1.255kg/m3 by conducting the
at = experiment in the world, in a non-
1.255kg/m3 [6] vacuum area where there is air. It
will be the best if all trials can be
conducted in the same altitude
because air density is directly
related to pressure which is
related to the gravitational force
which increases and decreases
according to altitude because
further the air particles are from
the earth, where the gravitational
pull is coming from, there will be
less pull, therefore less pressure
therefore less density of air. The
air particles farther away from the
ground because it is the only vertical force acting upon
the marble and since it will take more time for the
marble to drop to the ground, the marble will have the
chance to travel more as the displacement=
velocity*time. As seen in the equation, increasing the
time which should be a constant would increase the
displacement directly.
If this is not controlled by using different ramps for
each of the trials, some ramps will have more bumps
which will mean that their electrons will collide with
more of the marble’s electrons causing more repulsion
and applying more force in the negative direction of
the movement overall, slowing down launch velocity.
[12] This will cause the marbles to be projected slower
which will decrease the range. Or, if the ramp is
smoother, there will be less attraction between the
particles of the marble and the ramp which will lower
down the kinetic friction caused which will slow down
the launch velocity less than a rough ramp would
causing the marble to travel a further horizontal
distance before hitting the ground [10]. But if the ramp
is always kept the same, all launch velocities will be
decreased by the same amount causing the trend
between the different DVs (Dependent Variables) to
stay the same which will help to not interfere in the
data analysis also.
If the air density is changed or this experiment was to
be conducted in another fluid, this will either increase
or decrease the fluid resistance. Firstly, resistance is
when an object travels through a medium, the
medium’s particles start to bump into the travelling
object’s atoms and this causes the travelling object to
TRANSFER its’ energy to the medium it passes
through. When the air density is increased by
increasing the mass of air in kg per volume of m3,
(p=m/v), this will mean that there will be more particles
per volume that will take the energy of that moving
object. [8]
Since the fluid resistance equation is
Fd=(½)(p)(v2)(Cd)(A), this will mean that changing p,
common air density will directly impact the air
resistance. Looking at the equation, if air density was
to be increased, an object travelling through a medium
with the same velocity, same drag coefficient, same
Class: Physics 10C
earth have less weight because
they experience less attraction but
they are still on the particles that
are below them which causes the
particles in the bottom to
compress which increases the air
density. [7]
reference area will transfer its energy quicker, slow
down faster than the object that was travelling through
air or fluid that had less density. [6]
In this scenario:
Fluid Resistance Equation:
Fd=(½)(p)(v2)(Cd)(A)
-Sphere Drag Coefficient: 0.47
-Common Air density:
1.255kg/m3
-r of the marble: 0.5cm
-v: (varies)
So:
Reference area= 2(pi)r2
= 2(pi)0.0052
=0.00015707963m2
Sample Equation
Fd=1/2*​1.255*v2*0.47*0.000157
Fd= ​0.00004630322*v2​.
As it’s simplified to this stage, this shows that
increasing p value in the equation will increase
‘​0.00004630322’​ which will directly result in increasing
the air resistance for a specific velocity. This will
cause the objects to slow down faster, decreasing the
objects velocity.
Well, how does an object slowing down faster affect
the DV which is the range that the projectile can travel
through? The range is determined by 2 things which
are the velocity of the object and the time it has to
travel. The air time is constant because it is
determined by the vertical velocity which comes from
the gravitational force. Since s=vt and t is a constant,
increasing the velocity will mean more displacement
and decreasing velocity will mean less horizontal
distance travelled and when the air resistance directly
affects the velocity, this will directly affect the range.
But if every aspect of air resistance except the velocity
of the travelling object within it is kept the same, this
will result in a SYSTEMATIC ERROR and since all
values will be affected by the same amount of
SYSTEMATIC ERROR (air resistance decreasing the
velocity), this will result in all DV values (ranges) being
decreased by the same amount, and the trend will not
be destroyed but instead, it will just result in all values
being translated down by the same amount.
Class: Physics 10C

Materials:

1- 1 70.0 cm High Desks to place the Ramp On that will project the marble
2- 1 P​ rojectile Launcher, No: LA30-750 Brand: Lascells . This will be used to launch the marble
with certain speeds from the edge of the table. The marble is placed on the ramp at certain
heights and with the power of gravitational acceleration, the marble collects. The ramp converts
the vertical velocity achieved by the vertical acceleration to horizontal velocity and projects the
marble horizontally parallel to the ground.
3- 1 Blue Carbon Paper, Brand: Flamingo, Size: A4 . This will be placed on the ground above a
sheet of A4 paper and when the marble lands on it, the paper will leave a mark on the A4 sheet
underneath it showing where the marble had landed.
4- 1 A4 paper will be placed underneath the carbon paper. This is A4 paper is the one that will
be placed underneath the carbon paper.
5- 1 glass marble with a radius of 0.5cm and 11.2 grams. This is the projectile and this will be
projected at different speeds and the range it travelled will be marked using the A4 and the
Carbon sheets.
6- 1 ​Westcott 10431 Wooden Meter Stick; to measure the distance of the distance of the:
{closest end (to the table) of the A4 paper from the table + place of the mark on the A4 paper
from the closest edge to the table = marble’s range}

Plan:

1- Calculate the horizontal velocity of the marble at the point that it is leaving the projector using
the PE=KE equation where the marble will leave the ramp when let down from 6,9,12,15,18 and
21 cm of height on the ramp. This does not mean that the height of horizontal projection is
6-21cm. This just means that the marble will have 6-21 cm of height to accelerate.
Class: Physics 10C

2-Collect all materials which will include a 70cm desk, a wooden ramp (Lascells),11.2 grams
glass marble a 1m westcott meter stick and the Flamingo brand carbon of paper.
3- Place the ramp on the edge of the table as shown in the diagram below.
Class: Physics 10C

4- Roll the ball from the 6,9,12,15,18 and 21cm marks on the ramp or the projectile launcher
and roughly see where they land on the ground (in terms of distance away from the desk.)
SAFETY:
- Do not launch the marbles at bodies of living organisms so that they are not harmed.
Besides living organisms, to not aim at fragile hardware and remove any breakable
materials or objects around the destination of the launched marble. This will help prevent
harm to property and living bodies.
- The people around the launch need to wear goggles for safety as they can get harmed if
the marble accidentally lands on their eyes.
Class: Physics 10C

5- Then place the blue paper with the A4 paper underneath

it on the ground in the place where the marbles had roughly
landed.
- This is the marking paper placed on the ground.
Under this is the A4 paper. When the marble lands on the
marking paper, the marking paper will leave a dot on the A4
sheet of paper underneath it indicating where the marble
has landed.
Class: Physics 10C

6- Let the ball fall from 6 cm height from the ramp and see where it lands on the paper. Repeat
this 4 more times from the same height. These will be the different trials and the mean of these
5 trials will be taken in later as ‘Closest to the real range’.
SAFETY:
- Do not launch the marbles at bodies of living organisms so that they are not harmed.
Besides living organisms, to not aim at fragile hardware and remove any breakable
materials or objects around the destination of the launched marble. This will help prevent
harm to property and living bodies.
Class: Physics 10C

- The people around the launch need to wear goggles for safety as they can get harmed if
the marble accidentally lands on their eyes.

7- Calculate the distance it travelled away from the edge of the table (where it was launched
from) by adding together the distance of the closest edge of the paper to the table and the
distance of the mark that the marble left on the A4 paper from the edge of the paper.

The individual distances can be found using a meter stick to the nearest mms.
8- Record the distance in meters.
9- Repeat the steps 6,7 and 8 for the heights of 9,12,15,18 and 21 cm on the ramp.
Class: Physics 10C

Raw Data Table of How Horizontal Velocity (in ms-1) of Projection from the Height
of 0.76m of a Marble Affects the Range Travelled By the Marble (in m) +/- 0.001
meters

Vertical Initial Distance Distance Distance Distance Distance Avg.

Distance Velocity travelled travelled travelled travelled travelled Distance
of at the in m Trial in m Trial in m Trial in m Trial in m Trial Travelled
Accelerat end of 1 2 3 4 5 in m
ion in the ramp
{cm} in ms-1

6 1.08 0.298 0.295 0.296 0.297 0.297 0.297

9 1.63 0.369 0.366 0.367 0.371 0.372 0.369

12 2.17 0.412 0.418 0.416 0.419 0.417 0.416

15 2.71 0.476 0.481 0.485 0.482 0.481 0.481

18 3.25 0.543 0.534 0.541 0.539 0.538 0.539

21 3.80 0.578 0.571 0.581 0.581 0.581 0.578

1- Sample Calculation: Calculating the Velocity at the end of the Ramp from its Vertical Distance
of Acceleration:
PE= mgh ------- PE= 0.0112kg*9.8ms-2* 0.06m ------------ PE = ​0.0065856
PE= KE ------- PE= ​0.0065856​ ---------------- KE= 0 ​ .0065856
KE=1/2m​v​2 ------​0.0065856​ =½(0.0112)v2----- ​0.065../ 0.0056=1.176=v2-----​v=1.08ms-1
2- Sample Calculation: Calculating Average Displacement from trials:
1/2(0.289+0.295+0.296+0.297+0.297) = ​0.297m

Processed Data Table of How Horizontal Velocity (in ms-1) of Projection from the
Height of 0.76m of a Marble Affects the Range Travelled By the Marble (in m)
+/- 0.001 meters

Horizontal Velocity in ms-1 Average Distance Travelled in M

1.08 0.297

1.63 0.369

2.17 0.416
Class: Physics 10C

2.71 0.481

3.25 0.539

3.80 0.578

Data Table 2 Showing Calculated vs. Measured Ranges (in m) vs calculated

Speed in (ms-1) with a comparison by showing Ratios of the expected vs.
Measured Range and how much the Calculated Measurement was off By
+/- 0.001 meters
Calculated Measured Calculat Calculate Ratio of Off By (m) to
Launch Distance ed d Measured: 3 sig figs
Velocity (in Launch Distance Calculated
ms-1 (m Velocity (in Distance to
ms-1 (m 3 sig. Figs

1.08 0.297 1.08 0.426 1.00: 1.43 0.129

1.63 0.369 1.63 0.642 1.00: 1.74 0.273

2.17 0.416 2.17 0.855 1.00: 2.06 0.439

Class: Physics 10C

2.71 0.481 2.71 1.07 1.00: 2.22 0.589

3.25 0.539 3.25 1.28 1.00: 2.37 0.741

3.80 0.578 3.80 1.50 1.00: 2.60 0.922

1​- Sample Calculation: Finding the Time that the Marble Reached the Ground
s=ut+1/2at2 ---- 0.76=½*9.8*t2 --- 0.76= 4.9t2 --- t2 = ​0.15510204081--- ​t=0.394s
2- Sample Calculation: Finding the Calculated Horizontal Range using T AND V
d= vt --- 0.394 * 1.08 ---- ​d=0.426m
3- Ratio Sample Calculation
0.426/0.297= 1.43 --------- Ratio: 1.00: 1.43
4- Calculating the Amount of Error
Calculated - Measured Range in Ms = Error --- 0.426 - 0.297 = 0.129

Graph 2 Displaying Calculated vs. Measured Ranges (horizontal distance

travelled in meters +/- 0.001 meters) when the Marble was projected from the
height of 0.76m at different speeds (in ms-1)
Class: Physics 10C

Conclusion:
In this experiment, a glass marble with a mass of 11.2 grams was projected horizontally
with different speeds (1.08, 1.63, 2.17, 2.71, 3.25 and 3.80ms-1) using a projectile launcher
ramp. The speed of projection was achieved by setting the marble down from different heights
on the ramp (6,9,12,15,18 and 21cm). The place that the marble landed with each of these
speeds was recorded by placing an A4 sheet of paper on the ground and a carbon paper on top
of it and on the place that the marble fell, the carbon paper left a mark on the A4 sheet of paper.
This enabled for measurement of the range that the marble travelled. It was measured using a
meterstick accurate to 1mms. The prediction was that the marbles launched faster would travel
more distance and have a bigger range than the ones projected slower. This was the case since
the height that the marbles are projected from is always 0.76m, downward acceleration due to
gravitational force is always -9.8ms-2 and the initial vertical velocity is always 0ms-1 for each of
the trials, it would take same number of seconds for each marble to touch the ground. This
meant that since the horizontal speed was always constant, this formula could be applied. ​d=vt
and when the time is always a constant, speed would directly affect the distance travelled or the
range. [11] This means that when speed is multiplied by x, distance also multiples by x or if the
speed is divided by y, then the distance travelled is also divided by y. [11]
This prediction was SUPPORTED but also not SUPPORTED. Firstly, when the graph
and the processed data table is seen, the graph shows a positive trend between range and
launch speed. As the launch speed increased, the range also increased. This relation was
strong because all data were either on the trend line or very close to it. Also, the correlation was
0.994 (correlation is measured from -1 to 1 where both ones represent absolutely direct
correlation). This data was very close to 1 showing that there is direct or at least very strong
correlation between the 2 variables overall. This was proven by the Phet Colorado projectile
motion simulator. The simulation showed that as the launch velocity increased, the distance that
the projectile traveled also increased and vice versa... [12]
However, the prediction also says that if d=vt formula was applied, it should work. The
second data table clearly shows the difference between the calculated range (using d=vt) from
the velocity and the experimentally measured horizontal range. The calculated range for the
smallest speed is 1.43 times the experimentally measured value in meters and this increases as
the launch speeds get bigger till the calculated biggest range is 2.60 times the experimentally
measured range. This clearly shows that d=vt formula did not work due to other outside factors
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which means that there is an outer factor or outer factors that slow down the marble more and
more as it is launched with faster speeds. [11]
Evaluation / Errors:
Source of Error
1- PE=KE equation was used
to calculate the launch
velocity.
2- Mass of the ball was only
measured to 3 sig figs.
How Can It Be Improved
Instead of calculating the
velocity, the velocity can be
measured. When the ball is
set from a certain height on
the ramp, the time the marble
took to reach the end of the
ramp can be timed using a
stopwatch. This will mean
that by using the equation of
v= u+at, the horizontal
velocity that the ball is
projected by can be found.
This will mean that the real
velocity will be known instead
of a velocity that is calculated
and that does not consider
many elements such as
friction and air resistance.
This can be improved by
using a more accurate
weighing machine that gives
figures up to 6 or 7. When
working with bigger numbers,
the effect of this inaccuracy
has very little effect but when
the numbers are small like
0.427, it really does matter.
How Has It Affected the
Results
This meant that since it was
calculated and the formula
neglects other forces such as
friction and air resistance, the
marble was launched with a
slower velocity than expected
which meant that the marble
travelled less than expected.
Or in other words, this meant
the automatic decrease of the
horizontal range.
This means that the potential
energy of the marble was
only rounded to 3 significant
figures which can either be
rounded up or down which
this will cause inaccurate
calculation of Potential
energy, therefore kinetic
energy, and therefore a less
Class: Physics 10C

accurate launch velocity.

Since the launch velocity
could have been faster or
slower than expected
because the velocity is also
rounded to 3 significant
figures, this could mean that
the marble would travel less
or more than expected.

3- Air Resistance It can be improved by This would slow down the

conducting the experiment in
a vacuum where is no air
resistance. This will remove
any slowing down of the
marble in the air and will help
get the result of the
experiment closer to v=dt
equation where air resistance
is neglected.
marble in the air (horizontal
velocity) which would mean
that the marble would travel
less horizontal distance than
expected but also, its effect
would become more and
more dominant as the
velocity of the launch gets
faster because the air
resistance formula suggests
that has, the velocity that the
object that travels in the air
increases, the air resists
more. [6]

4- Friction The effect can be minimized This is something that slowed

by using a smoother ramp or
by projecting the marble. This
will mean that the particles of
the the marble will collide less
with the ramps. [12]
down all the launches by the
same amount but how much
it slowed it down the speed of
projection, it is unknown. This
will mean that every launch is
slowed down equally the
marble travel less of a
distance than expected.

Evaluation / Extensions of the Experiments:

Next time, instead of using PE=KE equation to calculate the horizontal launch speed, the
experiment will calculate it by measuring the time it took to reach the end of the ramp. And from
this using the equation of v= u+at, the accurate launch velocity will be calculated and this will
also include the the air resistance while it was being launched and also include the friction
created by the ramp which will show the real launch velocity of the marble. Next time, the
marble can be launched at different angles with the same speed to see what angle of launch
Class: Physics 10C

makes the marble travel the furthest. The other branch of the experiment could be that again,
the marble would be launched with different velocities and their ranges could be recorded at sea
level. This can then be conducted at altitudes of 1000m, 2000m, 3000m, and in a Vacuum area
where there is no air resistance. This will help show the the impact of air resistance to projectiles
at different altitudes.

Works Cited

Administrator. “Projectile Motion.” ​Introduction​,

www.physicstutorials.org/home/mechanics/1d-kinematics/projectile-motion. [2]

Brown, C. Liam. “2.8 Friction and Air Resistance.” ​Pop Physics,​

popphysics.com/chapter-2-newtons-laws/friction-and-air-resistance/. [10]

“GCSE Bitesize: Speed, Distance and Time.” ​BBC​, BBC,

www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/science/add_gateway_pre_2011/forces/speedrev1.sh

tml. [11]

Ghose, Tia. “What Is Friction?” ​LiveScience​, Purch, 4 June 2013,

www.livescience.com/37161-what-is-friction.html. [9]

“How Do I Calculate Density?Density and Specific Gravity in the Geosciences.” ​Calculating

Density,​ SERC CARLETON EDUCATION, 8 Nov. 2016,

serc.carleton.edu/mathyouneed/density/index.html. [8]
Class: Physics 10C

“ Interactive Projectile Motion.” ​Phet Education,​ Phet Education,

phet.colorado.edu/sims/html/projectile-motion/latest/projectile-motion_en.html. [12]

“Kinetic Energy and Potential Energy.” ​Kinetic and Potential Energy | Wyzant Resources​,

www.wyzant.com/resources/lessons/science/physics/kinetic-and-potential-energy. [3]

NPL. “Pressure Change with Altitude? (FAQ - Mass & Density) : FAQs : Reference.” ​National

Physical Laboratory,​ National Physical Laboratory,

www.npl.co.uk/reference/faqs/why-does-air-density-and-pressure-change-with-altitude-(f

aq-mass-and-density). [7]

PoETheeds. “VI - Air Resistance (IB Physics).” ​YouTube,​ YouTube, 20 Aug. 2012,

www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ISmOwjCvoE. [6]

“Projectile Motion - Real-Life Applications.” ​Science Clarified,​

www.scienceclarified.com/everyday/Real-Life-Chemistry-Vol-3-Physics-Vol-1/Projectil

e-Motion-Real-life-applications.html. [4]

“What Is a Projectile?” ​The Physics Classroom​,

www.physicsclassroom.com/Class/vectors/u3l2a.cfm. [1]

“What Is Physics.” ​What Is Physics?| Explore,​ www.physics.org/article-questions.asp?id=18. [5]